SPRING EQUINOX & OSTARA
Happy spring equinox! This year we’ll reach the tipping point on Thursday, March 20th 2025, at 2:01 am Pacific Time.
The spring equinox coincides with the astrological new year, when the Sun completes a trip around the zodiac and moves from the last sign of Pisces into the first sign of Aries. These events always occur simultaneously in Western or tropical astrology, since we define the beginning of Aries as the Sun’s position during the vernal equinox.
Equinoxes are special because the length of day and night are equal, as the name suggests. With the spring equinox, we’re now moving toward longer days, lighter times, and warm summer months (at least in the northern hemisphere). This is a time of balance and recalibration. As the seasons shift, we must change with them - and the vernal equinox provides an excellent check-in point in that process.
The 2025 spring equinox is an especially good time to reflect on balance in our lives, especially with Venus (the planet of balance) currently retrograde in Aries. Mental Mercury is also retrograde in this sign, encouraging further reflection. On top of that, we’re currently in the midst of a transformative eclipse portal, awaiting the next new moon and solar eclipse on March 29th in - you guessed it - the sign of Aries!
The spring equinox is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. Many of us have been exhausted in recent months, due to winter weather and darkness, intense astrological events, and upheaval in current events around the world. But the equinox provides an opportunity for a fresh start, and for spring energy to burst forth - especially if we’ve been intentional about resting and recharging throughout the winter. This is the moment for planting and planning with renewed vigor, for wishing and dreaming with the sense of possibility that only springtime can offer.
On the neopagan Wheel of the Year, the spoke of the vernal equinox goes by the name Ostara. This word comes from the mysterious pagan goddess Eostre of northern Europe. Not much is known about her, but it’s speculated that she is a goddess of spring and the dawn, symbolizing new beginnings. This has clearly inspired the upcoming Christian holiday of Easter (also representing a fresh start and new life through the resurrection of Jesus). These celebrations overflow with symbols of fertility, particularly eggs and rabbits - which have also often been associated with witchcraft. I find the sense of possibility in the air to be particularly magickal this time of year.
As is often the case with sabbats, the question arises: how do we celebrate Ostara and the spring equinox?
This is an excellent opportunity for spring cleaning. We must let go of the old in order to welcome in the new. Sweep stagnant energy out of your home, and harness the cleansing powers of salt, smoke, candles, aromatic sprays, and more.
Decorate your space to honor spring. Bring in some fresh flowers, whether a fancy florist’s bouquet or a simple bundle of local windflowers. Craft decorations out of natural materials to invite a sense of grounded productivity into your life.
Rejuvenate yourself as well as your space, tending to your body and practicing self-care. This can enhance feelings of self-love and confidence to move in the world.
Reconnect with nature! Pay attention to how the seasons are shifting in your area. Note which birds are singing and which flowers are blooming. Visit a local body of water; feel the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair, the earth beneath your feet. Meditate outdoors to ground yourself.
Reconsider your diet and shift to eating as seasonally and locally as possible. Visit a farmers’ market and incorporate fresh spring vegetables into your next meal.
Harness the Sun’s growing energy to take action toward your goals in life. If you already made plans earlier in the year, review them and take the next small step. If you need to make or renew your plans and goals, sit down with a journal and do so - then spring into action!
I dearly love Ostara, and spring is my favorite time of year. I am constantly enthralled and enamored with the beauty of the blooming flowers and lush greenery. And yet, my heart breaks when I look at them. I’m overcome with a sense of how fleeting and ephemeral these beautiful moments are, how soon they’ll already be gone. I want to reach out and grab them, hold them tight, do something with them before they disappear again for another year. I’m overcome with a sense of melancholy that I feel at no other time, as though grieving the spring before it has even passed.
Reflecting on this strange feeling each year, I’ve come to believe that it’s here to teach me to be more present in the moment. To allow myself to experience unfiltered, uncomplicated joy. To simply behold the spring buds, sit under the cherry blossoms, hear the robins singing melodiously overhead. To appreciate the beauty in simply being alive on this wondrous earth.
